for That 'tis not Probable he had Any Other, than the Recompence Such Near Relations are Suppos'd to make; he at the Same time did the Same Good Office to Some Other Young Gentlemen, Whether he receiv'd any Pecuniary Reward for That is the Question; 'tis faid Not; but what if he Did?

This did not Employ All his Time and Thoughts; as it was not his Intention it fhould. And Now for Some Years Poetry must be Sufpended, and all the Delights of the Greek and Roman Ideas Exchang'd for Modern Janglings; his Averfion, but as his Zeal represented them to be his Duty, and Somthing Within, which He Interpreted to be the Voice of God and his Country, call'd him into the Lifts of Controverfy, while the Country Gentlemen, Citizens, Artificers, and Peafants became Men of the Sword, Polluting our Delightful Fields with the Blood of Relations, Friends and Neighbours.

I know not if we are to Regret the Loss of So many years in which this Fine Genius would have Bufied it Self on More Delightful Subjects, Since what they Did produce, has a Kind of Excellence in Writing which is not Elsewhere to be found. the Poet is Seen, however Difguis'd by Polemical Accoutrements. Let not Us Now Confider him Whe ther in the Right or Not, That Point is Settled by our Superiours; Nor let us lofe the Pleafure he gives us as a Writer, by Amusing our

Selves with his Faults in Opinion; Whatever Allowances Divines Permit us to think God Will, or Will Not make to an Erroneous Conscience, Sure We who know our Selves fo Subject to Miftake, fhould for our Own Interest Stretch Indulgence towards One Another as far as it Can go.

Another Change happen'd to him a little after he had been Engag'd in this New Course; in the Year 1643, the 35th of his Age, he Marry'd the Daughter of a Gentleman of Oxfordhire. but Whether from Difference of Party, for Her Father was a Warm Royalist, or that She coming from a House of Luxury, great Plenty, at least, and Gaity, to One where Severity of Manners was Only found, or whatever Elfe was the Reafon, She Forfook him, about a Month after Marriage, and Refug'd in her Former Home. at Parting She Pretended only to go for the Air, he Confented for a Certain time, but after feveral Frivolous Excufes in Anfwer to his Kind Invitations to Return, She at laft, not only Abfolutely Refus'd him, but difmifs'd his Meffenger with Scorn. This Engag'd Milton in Another Inteftine War, a Controverfy in Another Kind, and Produc'd thofe Treatifes of His in favour of Divorce. that he believ'd his Arguments were Solid, this Confcientious Man gave good Proof, by making his Addreffes to Another, who it seems was alfo Convinc'd by them, a Lady of great Wit and Beauty; This was not

how

however till he had born the Obftinacy of his
Wife for about 4 Years. but when this New
Affair was in full Career, all was Stopt on a
Sudden. he was at a Friend's house upon a
Vifit; his Wife Surpriz'd him; fhe came into
the Room and all in Tears flung her Self at
his Feet, at first he feem'd Inexorable, but
the Submiffion of a few Minutes drove away
the Provocations of So Longa Continu'd Crime,
He Melted, Receiv'd her, and was Reconcil'd;
Probably not only mov'd by Good Nature,
and his Unextinguish'd Former Love, but as
not at Liberty Now in Confcience, as when
She feem'd Irreclaimable. a Like Scene be-
tween Adam and Eve in Parad. Loft. X. 937.
seems to have been Copy'd from This.
She ended Weeping, and her Lowlie plight,
Immoveable till Peace obtain'd from Fault
Acknowledg'd and Deplor'd, in Adam wrought
Commiferation; Soon his Heart relented
towards her, his Life fo Late, and Sole Delight,
Now at his Feet Submiffive in Diftrefs,
Creature fo Fair his Reconcilement feeking,
bis Councel whom he had Difpleas'd, his Aide;
as One Difarm'd, his Anger all he loft,
and thus with Peacefull Words Uprais'd her foon.

Thus ended This Uncommon Misfortune; and perhaps the more Effectually by his having Shown the World his Opinion concerning Divorce; This was a Rod held over her, Exacting her Good Behaviour. but his Ge-.

nerofity

i

nerofity and Goodness, together with this great Proof of his Conjugal Love, even to the Sacrificing a New Paffion, and very Probably the Quiet and Honour of a New Lover, were Nobler Engagements; yet not Content with Thefe, Her Family, upon the Turn of the Times to the Disadvantage of the Royal Cause, found in the Man they had Horribly Ill Ufed, a Protector and Friend; to That Degree, as to be taken, Father and Mother and Brothers and Sifters, to his Own houfe, and There Entertain'd till their Affairs were in a Better Condition; to which No doubt Milton's Af fiftance and Intereft did not a Little Contribute. a Noble Example of Generofity, GoodNature, Forgivenefs, and doing Good for Evil, and That, Notwithstanding Difference of Party, and His Own Flaming Zeal. I have often Wonder'd that in a Difpute on which he Wrote Several Treatifes, was of Long Continuance, and made much Noife, and Especially when He Fortify'd his Arguments by the Concurrent Opinions of Several Famous Divines, that he knew not of a Cafe, the Same as His, only that 'twas not Quite fo Juftifyable, 'twas That of Galeazzo Caraccioli Marquis of Vico, who was Allow'd to take Another Wife by the most Famous Proteftant Divines after a Solemn Deliberation. See Moreri.

Still he was Unhappily Engag'd in the Other War against Popery, Prelacy, and Monarchy, a Pure Volunteer; but after Serving

Thus

Thus Several Years he was taken into Pay, by the Infant Common-Wealth; Afterwards he was Employ'd (as Latin Secretary still) by Oliver, Richard and the Rump. When Monarchy rofe again, and They were all Sunk, Milton's Publick Employment Sunk too; but That gave him an Opportunity of being Much more Serviceable to the World than in that Narrow Sphere, and in the Service of a Ufurpation. for Now he Wrote for Mankind, for True Religion and Vertue, and for the Delight, together with the Inftruction and -Edification of his Fellow-Creatures; of his Own Country more Efpecially; for Now Paradife Loft was to Break Forth.

In the time of his being Secretary, his Health greatly Abated, but whether Otherwife than by the Gout is not Certain; nor WhenThat begun. in This time too he Intirely loft his Sight, which had been Decaying Many Years, while he too Closely Perfu'd his Studies; Himself imputes this Total Extinction of Light to his Writing in the Defence of that Strange Action of his Country (as He Suppofes, We fay of an Up-ftart Faction) but That Only Demolish'd What was Tottering Before, 'twas to Learning, 'twas to the Mules he Sacrific'd his Good Eyes, his Weak Ones only were Offered up in his Controverfy with Salmafius. Though I refolv'd to be Expeditious in the Part of his Picture I am now pon, and Have been, and Shall be So in the